Cancer victim Griggs Hampton was one of a kind

It was the spring of 1979 and I was sent to cover an event for the now-defunct Mount Airy Times by my editor in those days, R.J. Berrier.

This was on a Saturday morning, and the assignment included going to the downtown area for the auction of the Banner Building, a historic landmark there.

Of course, the gathering included prospective bidders and other people interested in the sale, but there was another fellow there who didn?t seem to fit in with the others. He was holding a container of golf balls, and eventually approached me to ask if I wanted to buy some.

I couldn?t really understand what he was saying, as he seemed to mumble his words, but the guy?s role as a salesman putting a move on his prospect was abundantly clear.

This seemed to be an odd gesture, especially by a person on the streets of downtown Mount Airy. But for some strange reason, I ended up purchasing a golf ball, which cost 50 cents if I remember correctly.

I say ?strange? because this was years before I decided to take up the sometimes-agonizing, sometimes-ecstatic sport. Later, it could have replaced one of the many balls I hit into the woods or the water, but at that time I had no real need for a dimpled white spheroid.

However, this unusual fellow just seemed so persistent that I think I bought one just to get him out of my hair. And after placing my four bits into his eager, outstretched hand, several people standing nearby chuckled knowingly at seeing another unsuspecting person being solicited by this intrepid golf-ball seller.

That was my first encounter with Griggs Hampton, with whom I would cross paths many times afterward until he died last week from brain cancer at age 62.

Selling golf balls was just one of the money-raising pastimes of Griggs, having scavenged them from a local course near his home. His primary function along those lines was to generate funds for charitable causes such as the American Cancer Society?s Relay for Life campaign and the March of Dimes.

He is credited with soliciting more than $100,000 in donations for those two charities alone. Griggs even collected in excess of $100 from medical personnel at a Winston-Salem hospital when he initially was treated there for his illness earlier this year.

Griggs often devised creative ways for raising money, such as a ?kiss the pig? gimmick in which donors could give on the basis of the person they?d most like to see engage in that dubious honor.

On many occasions over the years, Griggs was recognized as the top fund-raiser for the various causes he supported. And he could always be counted on to show up in the front lobby of The Mount Airy News to get his picture made in honor of that accomplishment.

Griggs truly loved his community, whether it involved cheering for Mount Airy Bears sports teams or attending meetings of the city commissioners. He was bound to show up most anywhere there was a crowd, hence his appearance at that long-ago auction downtown.

The really remarkable thing about Griggs was that he accomplished so much despite being what some people would consider handicapped. He suffered from cerebral palsy since birth, but still managed to graduate from Mount Airy High in 1969.

He really knew a lot about the Bears? sports history, and could recall details of games that occurred many years before.

When he first had surgery to remove a brain tumor, Griggs had difficultly understanding what was going on ? thinking a ?golf ball? simply was taken out during the procedure.

The question many of the rest of us now have was why this person who had done so much and would have continued to do more was taken from our midst.

I think the lesson to be learned from Griggs Hampton?s life was that he used it to the fullest in achieving good for others, regardless of whatever hand he had been dealt personally. He will live on as an example to everyone that a person doesn?t have to be mentally or physically perfect in order to make a difference in this world.

Griggs? funeral service was held on Wednesday, accompanied by a good turnout of citizens who came to say good-bye to an unforgettable character. His unyielding dedication to his community and faith was mentioned frequently during the service.

Had he been there, I?m sure Griggs would have been pleased ? and might have sold a golf ball or two.

Tom Joyce is a reporter for The Mount Airy News. He can be reached at 719-1924 or tjoyce@heartlandpublications.com.

Source: http://mtairynews.com/bookmark/16948788

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